


Uchiha Revolution

by Minai28



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Family Feels, Fix-It of Sorts, Forced Pregnancy, Good Orochimaru (Naruto), M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Plot, Protective Uchiha Itachi, Rape Aftermath, Revolution, Trans Male Character, Trans Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:00:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28789881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minai28/pseuds/Minai28
Summary: Sasuke and his family have been hurt a million times by Konohas hands, the one 1000001st time was the last.Konoha wanted the Uchiha bloodline to continue, they wanted an Uchiha they could use once again, Sasuke wouldn't let that happen, he took his freshly born daughter and fled.He would restore his family, he would bring everyone back from the dead he could and he would destroy Konoha.*Sarada Uchiha is not Sakura Haruno's daughter in this story* *shipping will only come in towards the end*
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 30
Kudos: 89





	1. Hurt

Sasuke Uchiha had been hurt a million times in his life.  
He had lost his family while still young, he had been tricked into killing his beloved brother, he had been lied to and manipulated…  
Of all of the people in his life, he did not expect Naruto to betray him too…

When he came back from the war, he was promised a home in Konoha, he was promised the option of a peaceful life but it was all a lie.  
They locked him up and he was only allowed out under a condition, his life, the life he wanted in exchange for another life.  
A new life… They wanted a child, they wanted him to put a child into this cursed world that had shown him nothing but suffering.  
And they made it clear that they would get it one way or another…

He let it happen, he gave them his body to do with as they pleased in ways he didn't even let Orochimaru touch him.

Orochimaru… He had been one of the few people who were supportive of his transition, if they had had more time Sasuke might have lost his Uterus, he might have never come into this awful situation.

…

The Uchiha spent a long time in an empty daze, he had given up on everything.  
The first time the child kicked, Sasuke felt his emotions return, with a force that overwhelmed him, he cried.  
He cried for himself, for all the pain his family already had to endure and he cried for his unborn child.

When his tears finally stopped, rage took him, he had had enough.  
Enough of Konoha's lies and abuse.  
Even if his brother loved this village, even if he wouldn't want him to, this place needed to be burned to the ground!

…

The day his child was born, he took the little girl and left.  
He was exhausted, honestly in an awful state for travel but his freshly unsealed Rinnegan could teleport.  
No one could stop him when they noticed that something was wrong.  
He teleported to the only person he felt he could trust, Orochimaru.

…

He met Karin and Suigetsu first, he tried to explain what had happened but couldn't even finish.

"A child!?", Karin was screaming waking the small bundle in Sasuke's arms.  
Sasuke started to panic too, the screaming could alert the guards outside his old teachers' hideout, not to mention that it was his baby, his small bundle that deserved a better life than he had that screamed and cried!  
"Help…", honestly his hormones were still all over the place, making it harder to keep the forced calm he had used for years.  
He didn't want to cry before Karin and Suigetsu but that choice had already been taken away from him.

…

Orochimaru really was on Sasuke's side, even now.  
He hid the last Uchiha and his baby and helped out in any way he could.  
This couldn't last for long but Sasuke was somewhat happy there.  
"Your daughter really is a cute little thing, do you have a name yet, Sasuke my boy?", the snake asked, the little bundle of joy in his arms.  
"... I never thought of it… I'm sure they would have named her but I guess that's now my job…", a small smile found his way on his face as he took the little girl back into his own arms.  
"Mh… something with 'sa' maybe? What do you think little one?"  
The girl beamed up at him and started to laugh.

Sasuke played a little game with her, listing syllables for the name and watching the small child's Reaktion.  
She liked 'sa', 'ra' and 'da'.  
'Sarada' wasn't even a proper name but she seemed to like it and as Orochimaru reinforced; there was no rule against inventing names.  
Sasuke would protect little Sarada.  
He already had a plan.

He would bring back his family, Sarada would not grow up alone and Konoha would burn.


	2. Parents

Gathering all of the materials to resurrect so many without Konoha noticing the robbed Uchiha graveyard was difficult and time-consuming.  
By the time the first one was due to be revived Sarada had already taken her first steps.  
His mother was one of the first ones to be revived, it was Orochimaru's idea since his toddler could use a loving parental figure and Mikoto would certainly like to see her granddaughter, not to mention the help it would be to help to have someone to take care of Sarada when Sasuke couldn't that wasn't, well... A bad influence as Orochimaru would most likely prove to be, Sasuke could tell from experience.

…

Orochimaru had been so kind and given over a large part of his favorite hideout to Sasuke and his family.  
Sasuke had found a way to bring people back from the dead without risking his own life but it needed sacrifices.  
They had gathered many people, some that had voluntarily offered their lives, some who would have found their end soon anyway, and some Sasuke personally wanted to see dead.  
Under them Saradas biological father, an Anbu that hailed from the Haruno family.  
Apparently, it had been a gift from Kakashi to Sakura to have him rape Sasuke so she could be part of his family even in a distant way, of course, she was unaware.

Sakura thought that Sasuke, who she could never marry as he was by law seen as a woman, had married her cousin and had died in childbirth, their child a stillbirth.  
At least that's what Karin had told Sasuke after she returned from a Konoha trip.  
Kakashi hadn't even hidden it well, he had freely told her that he had brought Sasuke and the Haruno together, obviously omitting Sasukes unwillingness.

This man would live and suffer until Sasuke had the guts to do the unthinkable and bring back his older brother.  
If he ever did.

…

Mikoto opens her eyes to the world on the day of Saradas 2 birthday.  
"Look Sarada that is your grandma! She will be nice to you don't worry…", Sasuke held the little child in his arm watching his mother sit up business the other revived Uchiha, Obito.  
Obito had easily agreed to help upon hearing what had happened.  
He had another chance to redeem himself as far as he was concerned.  
"Hi, auntie Mikoto.", Obito waved.  
"Hello, mother… I want you to meet someone…", Sasuke sat down on the soft mattress.  
"Sasuke?", She questioned reaching out a hand and stroking her son's face.

Sasuke had grown so much since the last time she'd seen him.  
Even with the same soft features she possessed, she must admit that he had grown into a fine young man.  
A black-haired toddler was held in one of Sasukes arms the other hidden beneath his clock or so she thought.  
"Yes, it's me… It's just been.. A long time…", tears were welling up in his eyes but didn't fall.  
Little Sarada crawled out of Sasuke's arms and onto her grandmas' lap.  
"Hewwo grandma!", She chimed and gave her a big hug.

"This is my daughter, her name is Sarada. She just turned two years old today…"  
"Is that so…", Mikoto looked down and really took a good look at her granddaughter.  
She looked a lot like her father and in turn Mikoto herself.  
She had the Uchiha's dark hair and eyes and was running around in a red and black onesie.  
The little girl was beaming up at her.

Mikoto decided that the obvious elephant in the room could wait for now... For her granddaughter.  
"It's nice to meet you Sarada! You can call me grandma if you like!", She put on a happy smile and returned the kids hug with favor.

…

After Sarada had been put to bed, Mikoto reentered the designated resurrection room.  
Sasuke was setting up the seal for the next two resurrections, his cloak was off, revealing his missing arm.  
"Sasuke… I think it's time to tell me what's going on… Obito-kun already told me about what happened with… with Itachi…", her voice shook when she mentioned her oldest son.  
Her sweet boy who had suffered so much, who had let Sasuke think he was a monster to protect him….  
Sasuke stopped in his doing and took a seat, gesturing for her to sit next to him.

"I… Konoha did so many awful things to us, I fled with Sarada after… After Konoha broke every promise they had made to get me back on their side… Itachi is still remembered as a criminal, the family compound has been destroyed and so has the shrine… Mom… I can't let it be. I'm not as good as Itachi, I'll never be-", he sobbed only to feel his mother's arms around him.  
She held him tightly, "It's ok. You're great in your own way, you brought me back. You did something no one else could have done and if… If you really want to hurt them, I will be with you."  
"Really?"  
Mikoto nodded.  
"Your father will be too and so many others…", she smiled tears welling in her eyes.

…

His father and the ever-elusive Izuna were next, he needed Izuna on his side if he wanted Madara.  
Izuna was very welcoming to his second chance at life and a chance at revenge for the injustice his family suffered after his demise.  
So was his father to no one's surprise.

…

Fugaku had a hard time adjusting to this new situation, his grown-up daughter- no his grown-up son and his granddaughter...  
"Satsu- Sasuke…"  
"Yes, father?", The younger managed to mask how nervous he was.  
"I don't mean to intrude but… Who is Saradas other Parent…?"  
Sasuke froze for a moment.  
He swallowed, "He… He's still alive actually but I don't want to see him… Unless it is to break his nose again…"

"Oh… I see… Was he really ok with being with you seeing as you're…?"  
Sasuke's breath hitched, he didn't want to remember, he didn't want to look back, he could barely keep his composure.  
"I don't know…", he finally got out.  
"He was acting on orders and I'd rather not… I think I should go back to Saradas, my work here is done for today…"  
Sasuke hurried away.

Fugaku didn't ask again.  
He was still wondering what exactly was going on but it was obvious that it was not for him to know.

...

Reviving his family was time-consuming and Sasuke was glad to have Karin and his mother to help with Sarada.

The process was exhausting for Sasuke but as far as he knew it was the only way to actually bring them back to life.

First, Orochimaru, whom all resurrected Uchiha were careful around, worked Edo-Tensai, then Sasuke worked with his Rinnegan, he had no name for the Jutsu yet but it worked to transform them into real flesh and blood.  
One day maybe… Sasuke would replace his lost arm… but now was not the time.  
He could only revive 2 people per day and he didn't want to miss a single day.


	3. Shisui

It was oddly easy to get Madara on board with his cause, they were close now.  
The Uchiha clan was basically a standing army of 200 now, not big but nothing to scoff at considering that every last one of them was a skilled Shinobi and some of them even had Mangekyo.

There were a few people still missing for Sasukes cause though…

The young Uchiha dragged another of their prisoners to the resurrection chamber, today it would be a single man that got revived and it would be difficult.

Shisui Uchiha, one of the strongest yet peaceful members of their family had died at 16 and his original eyes had outlived him by nearly a decade before they got destroyed.  
It wasn't easy to make a pair of Mangekyo reality, if they still had the originals they could have just revived him like he was and give them back to him…  
Orochimaru couldn't clone new eyes for Shisui because they lacked the materials, so unlike Izuna and Madara, Sasuke had to waist a whole day on one singular person.  
Still, Sasuke was determined to bring his cousin back.

…

The last time Shisui Uchiha had opens his eyes he had seen a crying Itachi, now he saw a gloom locking Uchiha above him.  
"Who are you..?", His eyes narrowed in on Sasuke, a threatening note to his voice.  
"You don't recognize me? I'm Sasuke, Itachi's little brother…"  
Shisui sat up, surveying his soundings carefully.  
"Impossible. The last time I saw he- him, he was 7 years old."  
"He is Sasuke, Shisui-Kun.", Mikoto spoke as she came through the open door.  
Orochimaru had already left, not wanting to disturb the newcomer.

"Was I in a coma? This doesn't look like a hospital though and…", he trailed off a hand reaching for his eyes.  
"You died…", Sasuke's lips formed a sad, melancholic smile.  
"I brought you back with a forbidden Jutsu… nearly the whole family died and not everyone is here yet…"  
"Mh…I really missed a lot huh... What about-"  
"My brothers not here yet…", Sasuke cut in.  
"It's alright though, he'll join us sooner or later. It just takes time", Mikoto smiled.

Shisui nodded and let himself be let to the rest of the family.  
Little Saradas was sitting on Madara's lap as he told her a story, a few other clan members sitting nearby listening.  
Most were currently out and about securing their old hideouts as Orochimaru's was getting too small.  
Shisui's jaw dropped, "Is that…?"  
"Madara Uchiha, yes. He's actually quite nice, I mean look how my daughter is laughing.", Sasuke said, a small smile on his own lips.

Apparently, Madara had taken a liking to the toddler, as she had had the guts to stand up to him even though she was obviously terrified after running into him and receiving his dreaded glare.

It took a while for Shisui to find out what had actually happened.  
Until he was up to date he wasn't really allowed to leave the hideout and as long as Saradas was around no one would tell him what had happened.  
The child didn't need to know yet, especially because it would be so incredibly hard for her to understand, she barely understood how you count age and how Madara wasn't one of her uncle's actually.

When night fell Madara himself grabbed Shisui for a little one on one talk.

"So, you're the little Uchiha who fell to Tobiramas student, right?"  
Shisui frowned but nodded.  
"How do you know?"  
"Itachi told Sasuke, Sasuke told me. The boy is smart enough to know that keeping secrets from me is… let's say 'rude'. Anyway, you want to know what happened don't you?"  
"Obviously."  
"It's a fun little story, let's start where you died shall we?..."

…

Sasuke woke up to his door flying off the hinges.  
Shisui was standing there is eyes blood red and angry, "You, YOU KILLED HIM!", he accused.  
He was glad that Sarada had begged to stay with his parents right now.  
Sasuke got up slowly, "He wanted me to…"  
"He 'wanted you to', is that your excuse!? The little boy I knew could have never hurt Itachi!", Shisui walked up to him, lifting him by his shirt into the air and slamming him against the nearest wall.  
"Would you kill your mother if she asked nicely!?"  
Sasuke was quiet for a moment.  
"Do what you must…"  
Sasuke would accept every punch or cut, he deserved it.  
He had loved Itachi, he had killed him and now he was too cowardly to resurrect his brother...

Shisui's eyes started to spin and before he knew it Sasuke sat in his own mind.  
Every defense he had was ripped apart violently and every corner was investigated before Shisui found what he had looked for.  
In the process, Shisui saw everything and Sasuke didn't even try to stop him.  
Shisui saw what injustice Sasuke had suffered...

...

When Sasuke came back to reality, Shisui was sitting on the ground before him, his face buried in his hands.  
After a moment he looked back at him, tears shimmering in his eyes.  
"... You've been through a lot, I'm sorry for my assumptions…"  
"It's alright… I would have reacted the same way…", a sad laugh left Sasuke.

"I will help you under one condition"  
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.  
"We will build another village, a better one."  
He smiled as he nodded, Shisui was now truly on his side.


	4. A new home

Most of the old hideouts were useless, destroyed, or taken over by other groups, mostly by Konoha itself.  
Still, there were some out there which could be of use.  
Madara and Izuna had led the other Uchiha to a hideout no one else remembered.  
They had apparently grown up there before it was abandoned.

A forest near the border of the fire country, famous for getting people lost in its bowls, held secrets deep inside of it.  
Sarada and most Uchiha waited in Orochimaru's hideout, Sasuke would not risk his toddlers' safety… or risk her seeing a corps.  
She would see death soon enough, no need to traumatize her early even as Fugaku protested.

Somehow his father thought it a good idea to introduce children to the world's cruelty early but Sasuke actually managed to shut him down with the help of Shisui and to their surprise Madara.  
"The child will keep her innocents until she knows how to dance herself, understood?"

Madara was an odd man, now that his plan had failed and he was restrained to reality.  
He still spoke of fighting as 'dancing', which Sasuke actually liked. He also ordered people around but no one would resist him anyway and he was listening to at least two people of his own; Sasuke and Izuna.

Izuna went ahead of the group, it was still fresh in his mind how to avoid the traps their family had set nearly a hundred years ago.  
The forest was littered with corpses, some fresh some ancient, some were only bones left in traps Izuna disarmed.

"Big brother? Do you remember this river?", Izuna asked beaming up at his brother as the group went through the small path near the river.  
"Of course I do. We're nearly there.", Madara smiled.

… 

The hideout was built into the side of a hill, hidden behind vegetation, that had apparently consumed the entire outside, hiding it even better than it originally had.  
A small opening was quickly created and the oldest Uchiha led the others inside.

The hideout was a spacious cave filled with traditional buildings that were still in surprisingly good shape.  
It was enough for a small village of a couple of hundred people.  
The moment Sasuke laid eyes on it, he felt like he had come home to the Uchiha compound.

"This is exactly what we need, right little clone?", Izuna grinned.  
Sasuke was a little frustrated over the nickname but Izuna was right.  
They could build something from here, a proper base that Konoha didn't know about, to begin with.

…

Izuna called Sasuke to a tall building in the middle of the cave.  
"This is going to be our home little clone! It was always the home of the clan head, see?", The older Uchiha pointed to a half-rotten sign proving it to be the home of a previous clan head.  
Fugaku who had happy accompanied his son and the older Uchiha came to the little gathering.  
"I suppose it would only be fair, Sasuke is after all of the clan heads line. I wouldn't want to keep him away...", it felt like Fugaku still thought of himself as the clan head.  
Madara raised an eyebrow, "Of course it's going to be his house, he is - or rather should be the clan head after all."  
"He isn't..."  
"He is if my big brother says so it's a fact.", Izuna warned his descended, he seemed more than a little protective of his brother and even flashed his Sharingan.  
"He isn't. My older son Itachi should be once he joins us.", Fugaku stood his ground.  
"Wow, the elusive Itachi!", Izuna half mocked.  
"Fugaku… half the family hates him, I doubt that'll work out even if the little clone is on your side...", Izuna elaborated.

Madara shook his head over the arguing Uchiha before him, to him, it was cut and dry, Sasuke should be the clan head.  
Not because his brother was disliked by a large part of the family, lions do not dwell on the opinion of sheep but because Sasuke had bested him.

Sasuke watched the goings-on, not entirely sure what to do, though outwardly calm.  
He had never even considered being the clan head.  
Izuna seemed to be adamant about him taking this role and he was right… even after Sasuke told them what had happened a large part of the family resented his brother for killing them, he would not go so far as to call it hatred but still…  
If his brother wanted the title Sasuke would find a way for him to get it, it didn't matter what the others thought.  
Sasuke sighed, which Madara took as a sign to stop this.  
"Fugaku, I think this is enough, we have more pressing matters to attend to, right little Sasuke?"  
"Yes but just so we are clear, Izuna, Madara... Don't speak ill of my brother again...", they hadn't done so, not really but it felt entirely too disrespectful.  
Madara raised an eyebrow at the younger but conceded eventually.

There were a lot of things to be done, they needed to move the bulk of their family here, repair the old buildings as best as they could, and set up a supply line with one of Orochimaru's hideouts.

Sasuke moved into the former clan heads house, with Madara, Izuna, Shisui, his parents, and his daughter.

...

Orochimaru was an odd man, these days more so than before.  
He had access to a few hundred Uchiha but did nothing towards his former goal of obtaining Sharingan eyes.  
Honestly, Mikoto was unnerved by his mere presence in the house on every routine visit.  
Especially so because he liked to play with her granddaughter, she of course put an end to that rather quickly but the thought that he somehow saw himself as part of the family remained, Sasuke was the only one with as much as an inkling as to why.  
Orochimaru had been his sensai at some point and he probably still saw himself as such or as a parental figure to Sasuke, the young Uchiha didn't mind, not really.  
His old teacher was eccentric and probably planing something or other but for now, he was useful enough to keep around.

Honestly, the Uchiha found it amusing and impressive how his mother wouldn't hesitate to threaten a man so much stronger than her when it came to her granddaughter's safety.  
Sasuke had quickly learned that his mother could be very protective when it came to her family, the look in her eyes of hatred when it came to Konoha when they talked about the village that had forced her eldest son's hand...

Maybe that was why he felt comfortable to tell her... to tell her who the last prisoner they kept was and what he had done...  
Maybe he only told her because he needed someone to talk to other than Shisui (whom Sasuke felt uncomfortable talking to) and Orochimaru himself...

...

Sasuke sat in a mostly empty room, he desperately needed a break.  
The hideout was filled with Uchiha as far as the eye could see.  
Some on their way out either with Obito's teleportation or on foot, there were a lot of tasks to be done and most Uchiha were more than willing to help.  
Konoha had made the order to kill them all, if it worked towards their revenge they would help.

Reconnaissance, securing supplies, guarding the hideout…

Sasuke had done a lot of things in the past month but there was still one more thing on his list before the Uchiha could become offensive.

Itachi.

The room was for Itachi but Sasuke didn't know if he could do it yet…   
It was time to do so and they would need Itachi and his knowledge over Konoha's security but…  
Sasuke was sure that Itachi wouldn't Support his plans, that he would have to break his last promise and hate Sasuke…  
It had to be done.  
His heart hurt but he wanted to see Itachi again, even if his brother would hate him.

Sasuke dragged the Haruno - his last sacrifice - to Itachi's room, his mother and Shisui came to him for moral support, Orochimaru was there to help.  
"Any last words?", Sasuke asked undoing the seal on his mouth.  
"You bitch! I will kill you and everyone you lov-"  
"I think that's enough…", Orochimaru had stepped in and resealed his mouth.

Sasuke's mother put a hand on his shoulder, she and Shisui were the only ones who knew who this was.  
He closed his eyes and sighed, "It's alright mother… Let's bring Itachi back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW if it isn't clear, Shisui got a good look at most of Sasuke's memories including some very painful ones, that's why he knows who the Haruno is.
> 
> I actually wanted to go more into Madara and Izuna but I guess that's for another day/ chapter... It just didn't feel right in here *shrug*
> 
> Next chapter - the return of Itachi Uchiha!


	5. Uchiha Itachi

The last thing Uchiha Itachi had seen as he died a second time was his brother's face, in shock and awe over his last words.  
The first thing he saw when he reopens them was an older Sasuke, Shisui and his Mother, they smiled, a sad and melancholic smile.  
"Welcome back to the world of the living… Big brother"

…  
Itachi’s mother held him tight the second he sat up, “Welcome back Itachi… It’s so good to have you back, I’m sure your father feels the same way.”, her voice shook slightly overcome with emotion.  
“Is he…?”  
“Yes, he’s alive. You’ll have to thank Sasuke for that”, she chuckled, “Speaking of… We - your father and I - would like to invite you to a cup of tea after dinner. I’d like to just take you downstairs now and talk about everything but… I shouldn’t have the privilege of the first talk…”, she smiled at Sasuke.

Their mother left the room soon after,   
“I think, I’ll leave you, boys, now. I still need to make dinner, we have to celebrate your resurrection with something nice, don’t we?”

Itachi sighed, "Mind explaining what's going on…? And why he is here?", he glanced over at Orochimaru who was absolutely beaming at him.   
Creepy.  
Shisui was the first one to speak up, "How about a second chance for our family'?", He grinned, it was so good to see Itachi again.  
Itachi stopped him with a gesture one hand rubbing at his temple.  
"How and why.", it was more of a demand than a question but Sasuke didn't mind.  
"A lot has happened since you died… Something I'd rather discuss later" - or never really - "led me to leave Konoha once and for all and to resurrecting our family. I brought Orochimaru back and he is helping me. As for the how…"  
Sasuke brushed aside his hair, revealing the Rinnegan.

Itachi sighed after a minute or so, "You'll just leave it at the implication, huh… I can't support meddling with the balance of life and death *but* it's nice to see you again.", Itachi smiled at the two of them.  
He didn't hesitate to return the hugs aimed at him.

...

Shisui pulled him aside first while Sasuke escorted Orochimaru back to one of his hideouts, "I missed you…"  
"I missed you too… How long have you been… back?"  
"Around half a year but I can't imagine what it was like for you…"  
Itachi smiled, it felt… nostalgic to have Shisui around again.  
"I managed, somehow…"  
"Let me guess, you'd like me to just drown you in Infos? Sorry but you'll have to bother your baby bro", Shisui grinned.

Itachi sighed but he could except that for now.  
It was obvious that everyone was just waiting for Sasuke to take him aside and explain what was going on but only shortly after Sasuke had come back, the voice of their mother called them down for dinner.

...

Itachi looked around the dinner table, his mother had cooked a traditional meal even though the resources were spares as far as he could tell.  
He knew everyone around the table except for one, a little girl who happily ran around the room before taking a seat in Sasuke's lap.  
He had at least heard of Izuna before but he would need an introduction to the new little Uchiha.

"Do you want another piece of fish?", Sasuke asked the little girl.  
She nodded and said, "Thanks, dada!"  
Sasuke noticed the way Itachi was eying his child.  
“Oh, right of course you don’t know her yet. This is my daughter, Sarada. She’s 3 years old... And you could already guess who he is, right?”  
“Uncle Itachi!”, she beamed proudly.

Itachi smiled but...  
This brought up more questions than it answered…

Who was the father- no, the other parent, he shouldn't assume.  
And why weren't they with Sasuke…?

"Uncle 'Tachi, are you ok?", The little girl asked,  
"Does your tummy hurt?"  
She must have noticed how he was very slow to eat his food.  
"Oh, no not at all, I'm not very hungry is all."  
"You should eat up regardless, it's not good to waste food.", Fugaku commented.  
"Oh, I have to agree with him for once", Izuna hummed.

After dinner, Itachi took the initiative, "Would you mind accompanying me on a little walk, Sasuke?"  
Sasuke nodded and proceeded to ask their mother to watch over his daughter while they were gone.  
He would have asked Itachi around that time anyway.

Itachi was really unfamiliar with his surroundings but they made him feel nostalgic nevertheless.  
Many Uchiha were running around, some like Izumi how smiled at Itachi with honesty and some who looked at him with contempt or outright hatred.  
Whenever Sasuke noticed those negative reactions he sent a warning glare in their direction, which either made them leave or smile, obviously afraid of Sasuke.

The younger led him outside the hideout into a lush green forest and down to a river, "I think we'll have some privacy here, Yoshi-san should return from fishing in an hour or two, and no one's out training or trading until tomorrow morning.", Sasuke said and sat down on the river bank.

Itachi sat down beside him.  
"You really did a lot of work, it's nice to see that everyone has food and a good home even though we're hiding. I guess you really are a good clan head", Itachi hummed.  
"I'm not- I…", Sasuke sighed, "You should compliment Madara and father, not me…"  
"And how brought them back to the world of the living?"  
Sasuke smiled, a blush creeping across his face.

Itachi's smile vanished after a short moment,  
"So there are a few things we should talk about…"  
"You can hate me if you want… I want to destroy Konoha..."  
A myriad of questions was filling Itachi's head but he only articulated a single one;  
"What happened?"

Sasuke froze.  
"It's… It's a lot… I'll tell you but you won't tell anyone, ok?"  
Itachi nodded, he wouldn't anyway, maybe Shisui at most.  
"Kakashi and Naruto had promised me change… I was promised the truth of what happened to be made public… a new shrine, a new family memorial, and… time for me to come back to the village of my own free will... but nothing changed and they got even worse… They kept me there, in a jail cell until they got what they wanted... They - Konoha - wanted me to continue the bloodline… I didn't want to so they-", tears were welling up in Sasuke's eyes, he hated them, he hated Konoha but he was also saddened, Saradas had been robbed of having two loving parents and a peaceful childhood by her very creation.

It had been years since but it was still hard to talk about yet with Itachi it felt a little easier, somewhere deep inside Sasuke held fast to the promise Itachi had made before his death.

"...They forced me to have Sarada…"

And Itachi held true.  
Though in a way the younger did not expect.

Itachi's eyes held the so familiar anger and resentment, it looked so foreign on his brother's soft features.  
It wasn't directed at him, instead, when the older turned to face Sasuke they held sadness and care.  
An arm wrapped around Sasuke trying to be comforting.

They had hurt his little brother, no that was absolutely an understatement!  
If Danzo had so much as touched his brother years ago Itachi would have made sure to burn the village to the ground but now… This was so much worse...  
Itachi had already subjected the boy to a lifetime's worth of suffering. Sasuke didn’t deserve this… He didn’t deserve any of it.

"I will help you…", it was barely above a whisper, and despite being calm and collected it felt entirely too emotional for his older brother.  
"And if the one who ordered this madness is still alive, I would like the honor of ending their life."

It was the least the older could do.

Itachi his gentle brother who had been forced to kill so many already would end the life of those who did this to him freely.  
The younger nodded choking back tears.  
He rested his head on his older brother's shoulder, letting him comfort him for now.  
Sasuke had rarely felt this loved in his life, even when his mother had held him, had tried to comfort him, it wasn’t the same.  
Itachi was always special.

“There is something else I need to tell you…”  
“Go ahead, Sasuke. I’m listening…”  
“I wanted to tell you all those years ago when you released Edo Tensai… I love you too…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The talk with Itachi's parents has been moved to a different chapter because feels  
> have fun


	6. Worries

Itachi worries, it’s in his nature.  
He missed them, his parents, Shisui, his brother - especially his brother because he was alive all this time and he only had to miss him because of himself.  
Even now when all of them were around, alive he worried, not just because of what was to come but because of what had already been.

His father had welcomed him home, not mad over what had happened.

"Itachi, I want you to know that I am still proud of you for protecting Sasuke…"  
"You shouldn't be, considering what I did… Still thank you...", Itachi smiled ever so slightly.

"Itachi, I want you to understand that it wasn't your fault.", his mother started.  
Fugaku grimaced but after a gentle nudge from his wife he said;"...If any Uchiha should feel guilty it should be me. I forced you into all of this when you were still a child", Izunas talk had taken root as it seemed.

Still, he couldn't stand this…  
It was as if Itachi hadn’t been born an old man at heart, as if Itachi hadn’t made the fatal decision himself, as if it wasn’t by his hand that they died.  
Sometimes he thinks it would be easier if they hated him but he could see that they could never just like he could never hate Sasuke.

Still, he worries.

Shisui had already welcomed him back with open arms and still Itachi worries.  
Sasuke had literally resurrected him and still, he worries.  
He worries not for himself but for them, he had failed them once before.

...

Sasuke looks thinner than Itachi has ever seen him and he is sure that it’s not just because of spars food.  
The older had always kept an eye on Sasuke and he knew that the boy had starved himself after the massacre, from what he could gather he was so focused on training that he forgot to eat…  
Last night, the second Itachi and Sasuke had returned from their walk Sasuke basically buried himself inside his study, maps and notes and everything strewn about and Sasuke absorbed in it all.  
Itachi even had to take him to bed a few hours later just to make sure he got some sleep.

Above everyone else in the little hideout, Itachi worries for his brother.

…

Sasuke worries for his brother.  
He’s worried about all of the Uchiha who have yet to accept him as part of the family again, he is worried because his brother doesn’t deserve their disdain.  
On one hand, Sasuke could understand it - he had felt similarly in the past but he was wrong to do so…   
This was Itachi, Itachi his big brother, his perfect big brother who had already suffered so much.  
… they would come around soon enough, they had to.

...

Sasuke fell asleep in worry only to be awoken by a tiny Uchiha jumping on his bed.  
“Sarada…”, he groaned, he hated mornings like this.  
He had never been good with mornings but 

He was surprised when the jumping actually stopped, then he heard a soft chuckling coming from her, he cracked open an eye and saw his brother hold his daughter, tickling her.  
This brought a smile to his face.  
"Time to get up, good morning little brother.", Itachi was smiling.

Madara and Izuna seemed little tens at breakfast, the second they were done Madara spoke up.  
"Sasuke, now that everyone is here, I think it's about time…"  
"Not to mention we still need to deal with the succession", Izunas added eyeing Fugaku.  
"I'm still of the opinion that Itachi is the best choice."  
"And I'm telling you; my brother is right, it should be Sasuke!", Izuna got a little too loud scaring Sarada and causing her to tear up.

Itachi didn't hesitate to take the small child in his arms, "Father, Izuna, if you want to debate this over our heads you might as well do it outside. If by any chance you'd like my opinion; Sasuke has brought us back so it's his right to lead us."

Sasuke's face fell.  
"It's settled then…", their father commented.  
"Not if Sasuke doesn't want to lead us", Itachi smiled at him, "You don't have to take the title if you don't want to but if you do; I'd be honored to help you in any way I can."

Sasuke should be allowed to do what he wants now, Itachi has forced enough on him.

The younger Uchiha swallowed, "It's ok… I'll take you up on that offer … Sorry for ignoring you Sarada", he took his daughter back into his arms, she seemed to have calmed down.

Itachi would be by his side… It was what Sasuke had always wanted; not the title of clan head but working with his brother.

Itachi will be his right hand, he will advise him and protect him.  
The older won't fail him again, it's something Itachi promised himself.


	7. Intermission: Naruto

Sasuke and Itachi had once again found themselves on the river bank not too far from the hideout.  
"I think you'll make a great clan head."  
"... Thank you but it's just us… you don't have to lie…"  
"Not a single lie has left my lips since you brought me back"  
"... You didn't give me the title to appease Madara and Izuna?"  
"Not in the slightest, I believe that you should lead our family and I am more than willing to follow you."  
Itachi ruffled through Sasuke's unruly hair bringing a smile to the younger's face.

"You know… I'm still wondering why you didn't just take the title for yourself… It's your birthright after all… but thank you…"  
"I don't think such a thing as 'birthright' should exist, in the first place. When we were both small children neither of us could have led our people and no one knew how things would turn out. today you have proven to help and safeguard our people while I have regrettably doomed them in the past."  
"Itachi… It wasn-"  
"Outoto, I swear to the ancestral gods if you want to take the blood of my hands' words won't do. Nothing short of literally undoing time will do so.", Itachi looked positively sour.  
He had had enough, Shisui had told him so, his parents had said similar, in the small conversation he had with Izumi it was repeated and Itachi personality believed none of it.  
When everything was said and done Itachi had still killed them with his own hands.  
Sasuke hesitated before he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.  
The wind picked up, a gentle rustle going the trees.  
"I don't care what you did, you deserve happiness too."

Itachi was startled at first but then a soft smile found its way on his face.  
His little brother really cared for him, didn't he?  
Even after all that he did...

…

"I want to pay Naruto a visit…", Itachi wanted to know why the boy had abandoned his brother once he was back in the village.  
He had obviously been wrong about naruto but maybe he wasn't deserving of the painful death the Uchiha had planned for him.

Sasuke swallowed, his mouth dry, he hadn't seen naruto in years, ever since he was put in jail.  
"I can take you…I should too... I’ve avoided this for too long anyway…", he offered.  
"I would appreciate it…", Itachi smiled gently, anger brewing deep within.

The trip was short, Sasuke had learned a thing or two from Obito and could use his Rinnegan to jump dimensions for quick teleportation.  
It was exhausting but an effective and safe way to travel.

Konoha hasn't changed much, Kakashi's face on the Hokage monument was the only new addition to note for the older Uchiha.

Since they had jumped right into Konoha they didn't have to deal with getting through the barrier around the village; no one would notice them.  
Itachi led the way, he was better at avoiding detection, the shadow of the night covering them.

Naruto's apartment wasn't far away.  
The light was on but the man inside had fallen asleep on the couch.

Perfect, Itachi could make it seem like a dream… or a nightmare depending on Naruto's reasons.

…

Naruto was chasing Sasuke, it was a recurring dream, running never quite reaching him until-   
Sasuke stopped and turned around.  
Naruto seemed to hesitate before he hugged the Uchiha.

The actual Sasuke watched, within the illusion only his eyes existed, undetectable yet all-seeing.  
It was fascinating to watch Itachi's handy work while not directly involved.

"I missed you Satsuki…", naruto kissed the illusion.

His dead name.

Naruto had known his birth name and how Sasuke felt about it ever since they'd stayed in the same hospital room after the war.  
After all, it sadly was Sasuke's legal name.

Sasuke had hoped that his old friend was still somehow on his side… This was a bad start...   
A very bad start, even Sasuke’s father who mind you had named him Satsuki at birth managed to use the right name by now.  
Not to mention that Naruto had only ever really known him as Sasuke….

Sasuke felt like he should be more upset over the kiss but he didn’t really mind, he liked man, Naruto knew that and he thought it was a dream, it just made sense. 

The illusion grimaced before it smiled challenging the blond man, "I don't use that name any longer, you know that idiot.", A teasing tone accompanied it as if nothing was amiss.  
"You should! It's pretty!", Naruto seemed excited.  
"Not to mention, we could finally get married and have kids of our own!"

The younger Uchiha was certainly going to be sick…  
Still, he watched on, Itachi was going to push a little more before this would be turned into a living nightmare for his old friend.

The illusion Sasuke spoke again, "But where should we live…? I don't belong here any longer…"  
"Sure you do! Konoha is so much better! Everyone is really nice these days!"  
"Naruto… Konoha they… my family...!"  
The illusion's eyes grew wet and… it cracked, as if it had been cut but it didn't fall, it stayed in place broken as it was.

Still, Naruto smiled, "Don't worry I'll protect you and our kids! You'll never have to be alone again!"

Being alone!? As if that was the problem with losing his entire family!?  
Was this all he understood?  
Or did he not care because it didn't concern him?  
Was he this emotional stunned or selfish?  
Whatever the case something was…   
Wrong...  
This was still naruto but it wasn't what Sasuke had believed, had hoped his oldest friend to be…

“They died because of them… It hurt… My mother, my father…. My brother… It hurt...”, the illusion spoke in a voice that was so sad and broken that it made Sasuke question if he could even sound like that.   
“But you’re here, it’s all better now! We can have a new family!”  
“I don’t want a new family! I want justice for those I lost!”, anger, hatred, a fire lit within the illusion.  
Naruto seemed taken aback, “But... I thought I saved you from the darkness! You have to calm down, the next time you fall we won't be able to get you back!”, panic flashed across his face,  
"You can't become like Madara! You have to stay with me! You'll be put away for good or... I might have to...!"

This was why Naruto had let Sasuke be put in jail, he thought Sasuke was beyond saving...  
He was willing to kill Sasuke because of this 'darkness'...

The illusion cracked further, "Why did you chase me if you don't care?"  
"What are you talking about? I do care! I know what it's like to feel all alone and you don't have to any longer! Please!"  
"You don't…", the illusion said before it shattered like a mirror, every piece reflecting Naruto before it changed, it shows Naruto bleeding and in pain in a million different ways.  
Every shard cut Naruto.

The blood pooled on the floor.  
The crimson void sucked him in.  
Soon all he saw was red.

…

It hurt…   
Nauto doesn’t know how long it’s been. It feels like an eternity.  
He drowned but he had woken up the world around him off and wrong.  
The trees were distorted and no matter how far he ran he always ended up in the same place, chased- no he was being hunted.

He didn’t see his pursuer but he knew it was there.  
He could feel its breath on his neck every time he paused, he couldn’t pause, he couldn’t stop.  
It would get him.  
It would hurt him.  
It was inevitable.  
Tear him limb from limb only to put him back together and start anew.

Everyone would reject him for his weakness.  
The eyes in the trees will judge.  
The laughter of the leaves was over his suffering.

When the laughter stopped they whispered.  
They whispered, telling him of his sins and how he deserved this.  
Maybe he did.

His feet were already worked down and bleeding over the ashen grass, still, he fled.

He was caught,

over

and

over

and

over.

…

Sasuke didn’t feel sorry but his brother's talent to distort time was honestly terrifying.  
The most Sasuke had ever experienced at once was 3 days.  
Naruto had been in his nightmare for a week.

The second Sasuke was back in his body he teleported his brother and himself out of Konoha back to the forest.

His breath felt short, shorter than it should be, he had only watched he shouldn’t feel soo…  
Helpless.

Why was he shaking?  
Why was his face wet?  
Why did the darkness around them feel like it was wearing down on them?  
Why couldn’t he hear the night?  
The world had deserted him.  
So much.  
Too much.

Naruto, his first friend… Would try to kill him when they meet again...

“Sasuke, listen to me. Just focus on my voice... It’s alright…”  
Itachi’s voice was so loud in the silence of the night but it was... comforting.

He was there, his big brother was there, he wasn’t alone, not any longer.  
Sasuke held onto Itachi for dear life, listening to his deep voice.

Slowly the world returned to Sasuke.  
Frist the river, then the insects, then Sasuke's own sobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Offfffff... This was hard to write...  
> Not the nightmare sequence, not the panic attack, NOPE but Naruto! 
> 
> I honestly believe that he doesn't get what Sasuke's motivation is ( see canon and the whole 'darkness'-thingie) and that he only wants the best for his friend and everyone but I think he's also stuck in a very narrow way of thinking, he is the light and his way of life can't be wrong because of that.  
> Sasuke is wrong, Madara was wrong and Madara was beyond saving even for Naruto's talk-no-Jutsu   
> If Sasuke is like Madara he will have to die before he can hurt anyone or be put under lock and key for the rest of his life.  
> Naruto thought the latter to be better which is why he didn't protest Sasuke's incarceration.
> 
> Obviously, Madara is somewhat reasonable now because he was something to live for again, something that is, in fact, real, the same goes for Sasuke
> 
> Sasuke forgave his brother a long time ago, Naruto couldn't forgive Sasuke if he hurt anyone again because he would be 'lost to him'/'lost to the darkness
> 
> IDK why I felt the need to explain what was going on with Naruto but here we are.


	8. The calm part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff

The Uchiha's war room was an odd little thing, among maps and notes about everything Obito and his reconnects team could gather stood a big bowl of freshly baked cookies.

Some of the best the Uchiha could muster in strategy and politics were gathered to form a cohesive plan.  
Sasuke technically led the meeting but he valued Itachi’s opinion to the point that Itachi had the last say in most things.  
Hushed tones spoke of Konoha's allies and how to break them apart, what secrets might need to be revealed to gain the upper hand and amongst it all, a small girl, maybe three years old just strolled in to take a cookie.

Madara was the first to notice her and took her on his lap so she could take a cookie from the table.

It took nearly a full minute until the others noticed the small Uchiha eating cookies.  
"So If we can get the Hyuga to abandon them, which I believe we can thank to-'', Sasuke's gaze was now transfixed on his daughter, he sighed, "Saradas… What did I tell you about coming in here when we're working?"

The other Uchiha stopped in their tracks when they noticed the little girl.

"Not to disturb adults because work is important but I'm not disturbing anyone!"  
Madara was holding back a laugh, she was right.  
"Yes but that's not all there is to it… I think you should go back to your grandmother…"  
Sarada pouted but took another cookie and left. 

"Madara-san, would you mind sending her out next time?", Itachi asked a little exasperated, Sarada was still a child she didn't need to know what was going on.

"You're never too young to learn the theory, Itachi-Kun", he hummed.

“Back to the Hyuuga's branch family, considering the abuse they already suffered….”

…

It's been a week since the planning phase had started in earnest, a few people were already sent out to create information leaks that couldn't be traced back to the Uchiha even after they've revealed themselves.  
They had some time, for now, the information had to spread, the truth found in it had to foster distrust in Konoha’s allies before the Uchiha would drop the bomb of the Uchiha genocide and would demand justice.

After another meeting, Itachi took Sasuke aside,  
"I have a request"  
"Sure, anything…", Sasuke eyed him with suspicion despite the fact that he'd really do anything for his brother,  
Itachi seemed so serious...

"Take a break."  
"What?"  
"You heard me, you've been working yourself to the bone for who knows how long-"  
"Just a little over three years…I guess..."  
It wasn't hard to guess… 

"Are you telling me you didn't take a proper break once, since Sarada was born?", Itachi raised an eyebrow.  
Sasuke grimaced but nodded, Itachi was most certainly going to scold him.  
Mother would probably do the same if she didn't believe that he had taken frequent breaks… Which he didn't, he just used the time to work on whatever he needed to do at any given time in theory instead of practice.

The older sighed but instead of scolding him, he drew him into his arms.  
"I really do have a foolish little brother, don't I? No wonder you look like death itself…"

Itachi was right, Sasuke looked bad, he hadn't gotten much sleep as of late, looking through every last bit of information he had or going out to find something useful in disguise.

One Uchiha might be worth 25 other Shinobi on average but they were still vastly outnumbered.  
Not to mention that this average mostly existed because of Madara.  
"I'm here now, you take a break and by a break, I do mean a few days at least. We have time, there’s nothing that needs to be done for at least a week and if anything does come up, I will take care of it”

...

Itachi checked in on him that evening and the next morning, taking him downstairs for breakfast.  
He even went as far as to share his food even though he just like Sasuke was too skinny.  
Sasuke gave him a questioning look but took the extra rice ball.  
Little Sarada in his lap happily ate away at her share.

Itachi gave him a little push towards his daughter once they were done.  
"Dad! Uncle Itachi said you have time off work!", the little sunshine caught him and carted him away to show him something.

Shisui had almost definitely pushed Itachi into being more 'touchy' when Sasuke was feeling down.  
Sasuke could see it in his grin but for once he didn't mind being touched.  
Itachi's touch was soft and gentle, it didn't hurt, not any longer.

Sarada had drawn a picture of her imitate family or so she believed to be such with crayons.  
Sasuke smiled, he could recognize different people living in his house!  
The first pictures Sarada had done of their family had looked nothing like human beings.  
Even now they didn't, really but a bunch of round-ish heads with beady eyes and hair was still better than the scribbles from before.  
"You've improved quite a lot!", He diced to be a little more 'touchy', than usual too, and gave her a hug instead of petting her head.  
Sarada hugged him back with abandon.  
"Can we play? Can we?", She asked excited over the prospect of having her dad for herself for once.

Itachi had told him to take some time for himself but really wasn't taking care of Sarada and playing with her taking care of 'himself' too?  
Sarada was part of him because he loved her and she held a special place in his heart…  
Well, going by that logic Itachi was part of him too…

Sasuke smiled to himself.  
"Of course we can but you'll have to spend some time on your study's too!"

Sasuke didn't want Sarada to be unaware of the outside world, he had taken her out of their hideout a couple of times already.  
Sarada was learning on each of those trips, she learned that the world was big and had a lot of variety she didn't get to see in the thick forest with her family.

She had already learned that people with light hair and eyes and those with drake skin, sometimes all at once existed and that they could be just as nice.

On this trip, she learned what ice cream was and that most places had playgrounds.  
Of course, she begged Sasuke to make one in the hideout and he had to refuse her.

Still, the new village would need a playground, wouldn’t it?

By the time they arrived back at the hideout, Sarada was a very exhausted but happy child.

Itachi was the first one to notice their return, welcoming Sasuke and Sarada home with a hug for each.

"Shisui must have really gotten in your head…", Sasuke sighed.  
"I suppose he did… but then again I'm just giving you what I unfairly denied you in years past…"  
"Does that mean you didn't hug dad for a long time!? You meany!", The little girl was outraged.

Both looked at Sarada, then back at the other, Sasuke broke out in laughter while Itachi chuckled.  
The laughter agitated Sarada further, "Hey that's not funny!"

She had just called her uncle a 'meany' as if it was the most fatal of insults and the two adults couldn't help but see it as the funniest thing they'd ever heard.

...

Sarada was still mad at the two of them when dinner was served.  
After a while, it of course disappeared as it often did with small children.

Sasuke decided to take up some of Itachi's time.  
It was really simple, recourse were scares, many things had to be shared why not baths?  
It wasn't even hard to convince him to take a bath with him and Sarada.

The younger smiled to himself as he helped his daughter undress.  
The red dress his mother had made had a zipper at the back, so it was difficult for the girl to get out of it alone.  
He noticed Itachis's gaze linger on them, he didn't mind he felt Itachi's love, not his malice.

"Say, uncle Itachi, why's your hair so long?"  
"Oh, that? I like it this way… Some of the people I love most prefer it long as well.", Itachi's eyes were focused on Sasuke as he said the last part, a small smile on his lips.  
"I like it too! But my hairs still all short, granny says that it will grow long when I get older but that takes forever!", She complained.

…

The bathroom was in a more traditional style and as such Sasuke preferred to bathe the way he had been taught, wash yourself off before you sink into the warm water.

Sasuke liked taking baths with his daughter, he liked doing dumb tricks with soap bubbles to impress her or tickle her as 'punishment' when she couldn't sit still.  
What he hadn't expected was for Itachi to sit down behind him while he did so and to soap up Sasuke's hair.  
They had done this before, years and years ago at this point of course it felt unfamiliar and odd but Sasuke couldn't help the small smile on his lips.

"And who pray tell, is going to clean your hair Itachi?"  
"Alas, I will have to do so myself…", the older sighed, half-joking.  
"No, you won't!", Sarada shouted.  
"Well, you won't either, Sarada. He's my Brother so I will."  
Sarada pouted.

Sasuke washed the soap on Sarada and Itachi did so for Sasuke before he moved to his brother to wash his hair.

Itachi's hair was smooth as silk beneath Sasuke's fingers, he was careful not to pull on it in any way as he massaged the shampoo in.  
"It's been a long time since we've taken a bath together hasn't it?"  
"Yes, too long almost…"  
"I missed this… I…"

Sasuke hesitates before wrapping his singular arm around Itachi's torso, holding him close.  
"I missed you…"  
"... I missed you too…", Itachi confessed one of his hands holding Sasuke's above his heart.

"And I want in the water, hurry up!", Sarada was getting impatient.  
"You're already clean, you can go in first you know?", Sasuke raised an eyebrow.  
"But I don't wanna be the only one in the tub!"

Children…

Sasuke dumped water over Itachi to wash off the soap.

…

After the bath little Sarada grew tired and nearly fell asleep in the soft towel Sasuke had wrapped around her.

Sasuke sighed and took the little child to their room, tugging her into their shared bed.  
Sarada would get her own room and bed once all of this was over.  
He did notice that Itachi had come with him until he tugged at Sasuke's empty sleeve,  
“You know I’ve been wondering…”

“Why it’s gone, or why I don't have a replacement?”  
“The latter, you made nearly 300 people flesh and blood, why not your lost arm?”  
“It’s difficult… you know the revival process we used... uses edo tensai as a crutch, it’s really difficult to make something without a pattern… Honestly, I’m not sure I can do it properly...”

“I thought you could do anything…?”  
Oh… right Sarada was very tired but not asleep yet.  
“Not anything, no. I can do a lot of things though… For example, I can tell that you’ll have a wonderful dream but you’ll have to fall asleep soon to catch it!”, he laughed.

“I’ll spend a little time with your uncle, you try to catch that dream ok?”  
Sarada nodded happily.

…

The living room was empty, Their parents enjoyed a bath of their own now and Madara and Izuna had taken Shisui with them for training.

“I doubt that I could help with this…”, Itachi sighed.  
“I wouldn’t know how to… but I can try it now…”, a small smile found itself onto his lips.  
He had felt guilty for a long time about taking Naruto’s arm when he lost his own but he didn’t feel the same any longer…

“Hey, Itachi?”  
Sasuke leaned in and let his head rest on his brother's shoulder.  
“Would you mind moving in with me and Sarada when the new village... Ah forgot it..."  
"No, I won't", Itachi's hand found its way into Sasuke's long unruly curls.  
"I'll gladly move in with you and your kid...", he smiled.

It felt a little odd, almost as if Sasuke had offered for Itachi to become Sarada's second parent.


	9. The calm (part 2)

Sasuke’s eye bags slowly vanished over the next few days and he slowly started to regrow his arm, though it was by far more painful than the Uchiha had expected.  
He couldn't finish the process in one go, leaving an open gash at the end he had to wrap up.  
He was still missing half of his lower arm and his hand but his daughter's amazement and his brother's proud smile were worth every bit of pain.

…

Uchiha tended not to handle idle time well so many had taken to training in groups.  
Sasuke was a little rusty and found himself on the ground more often than not when it came to taijutsu training.

Shisui grinned down at him when he helped him up.  
“I think I know what you’re doing wro-”, Shisui started but he was interrupted by another Uchiha who had just finished sparring with Izuna, “Sasuke-san? Do you have a minute?”

Naori Uchiha had originally lived around 50 years before her resurrection, from what Sasuke knew she was a formidable Kunoichi but they hadn’t talked much previously.  
Shisui rolled his eyes but smiled and left the two to grab Itachi for a round of sparring.

Sasuke sighed, “I think I do, Naori, right?”  
“Yes, maybe here isn’t the best place though… I would like to discuss something rather private…”

Sasuke waved to Itachi and Shisui before he left for the river with Naori.

Naori was a bit of an oddity as far as Uchiha genes were concerned, her long purple hair was oddly bright for an Uchiha, not to mention the lovely waves and curls that rose and fell with every step she took.  
Maybe she was more closely related to Shisui and Kagami than himself? They were the only Uchiha Sasuke could think of with curly hair…  
She was also really tall, taller than Sasuke for sure, maybe taller than Itachi or Shisui too.  
Not that Sasuke was particularly tall…   
Ah, the curse of genes…

Naori took a seat on the trunk of a tree that had sadly been knocked over, gesturing for him to join her.  
“Sasuke-san, I’m sure there are already many things in place for the new village but there are some details I really do need to have a talk with you about…”, she started, she seemed to do her best to keep her distance and stay respectful.  
Sasuke would probably wonder why if it wasn’t for the title he now held.

“You can drop the honorific, you know? Just call me Sasuke…”  
“Thank you, Sasuke… So, from what I heard Konoha and by extension all the hidden villages are still practicing a rather limited form of help towards Konochi…"

"You mean the pseudonym system?"  
It's a rather simple thing, Konochi who are afraid of the reality of being a Kunoichi - like seduction missions and the possibility of assault instead of just being killed when captured - could live under a male persona.  
Sasuke himself had taken advantage of that system to live as Sasuke Uchiha instead of Satsuki, even if it didn't change his legal status.

"Yes, I'm afraid that pretending to be a boy does not help Konochi avoid assault or discrimination… I might have not partaken in it directly but my circumstances mirror it in a way… I'm going, to be honest with you and I hope you won't judge me like Konoha and even our own family did decades ago but I won't begrudge you if you do, all I want from you is to listen to my story and if you have a heart I'd ask that you create a system that helps people like myself and does not hinder them."

That sounded rather serious… Sasuke nodded towards her, he would listen, if there was a problem he was not already aware of it was better to find out now and not when he had unintentionally invited said problem to their new village.

" I… I was born with...male genitalia."

Oh. She was like him.

"That does not make me less of a woman mind you. The gods simply played a cruel joke on me.", She continued eyeing Sasuke with caution.

"Let me guess people treated you as if you were insane to want to live as a woman?", Sasuke spoke from experience, in some country's medical transitions are a thing but in the fire country… 

How could that ever be a thing when they refused to even acknowledge that trans people were a thing?  
It was ok to live as a man until you got married and had kids...   
You would retire anyway so you were safe just being a housewife and mother.

When Sasuke talked with a doctor in Konoha about feeling like he should have been born a boy, the doctor tried to convince him that he was actually feeling an attraction towards women ( which he never had ) and that it would pass with age ( which it hadn’t ).  
Men were men and love women, women were women and love men, that’s just the natural order of things, and Sasuke would certainly change his point of view and get married to a nice man.  
What a load of bullshit!

"Indeed… The more I did to feel more like myself the worst it got. People can accept a man with long hair or a woman with short hair that uses a male name as protection but what's socially acceptable is a fine line to walk."

"And once you step over that line you lose people, maybe even people who promised to always stay by your side…", he continued for her, Sasuke's thoughts wandered towards a certain Uzumaki.

"Exactly! After I got bottom surgery… Well the doctor did the best he could but since I could only have the surgery through illegal means it's no surprise that he didn't have a license, to begin with…”, She grimaced,   
“I had to be hospitalized and my parents found out about what I had done, they disowned me…", her hands clawed themselves into her pants, her face turned away from Sasuke to hide the tears that refused to fall.

“I’m sorry to hear that… I… I’m... the same but I guess I’m really lucky, these days my father calls me his son…”, Sasuke couldn’t help the small blush on his cheeks, it was still somewhat embarrassing to talk about.

“It seems that I didn’t need to talk to you about this…”, cleared her face of tears.  
Naori seemed to relax finally and a small smile found its way onto her lips.  
“Well you certainly are a handsome boy, I’d be proud to have you as my son!”, she joked.

Sasuke chuckled, it reminded him of his time with team taka, he missed them…  
They couldn’t exactly vanish from Orochimaru’s hideout all the time, someone was bound to notice at some point so they kept their visits short and infrequent.

“Common you aren’t that old!”, Sasuke protested.  
“Yeah, I am! I’m 26 and you are a child!”, she teased.  
“I’m 21 and have a kid!”  
“My god! I’m already a grandma!”  
Both of them laughed, the sun shining down on them through the trees.

They continued to talk and joke around, Naori was really nice and Sasuke had missed having a friend around.  
He could call her a friend now...right?

Sasuke and Naori soon joined back up with the other Uchiha outside their little hideout.  
Itachi and Shisui were sitting under a tree in the shade, Shisui had a notebook in hand and seemed to write or draw something, Itachi gave him an approving smile.

Madara and Izuna were sparing a big grin on their faces.

Sasuke's father was a little further down the clearing chatting with a few more Uchiha who seemed to take a break.

“Hey, Naori? You’re strong right?”, Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.  
She grinned, “Want to find out?”

...

By the end of the week, Sasuke’s hand was back, though it was really shaky.  
Going into combat with it wouldn’t be fun, he would have to get used to it first.  
Still, it was another step and soon he would get his revenge...


End file.
